The seminar “Art, Agriculture and Biodiversity” took place on 2 to 3 December 2024 in Aix-en-Provence (France).
This seminar brought together artists, students, teachers, and leaders of initiatives exploring the intersections between art, agriculture, and rural-urban dynamics.
Panel 1 – “Renewing Soil Biodiversity”
Jean-Christophe Robert, from the French association Filière Paysanne, addressed the importance of nourishing the soil, while Audrey Devedeux, from the initiative Forêver Urban Forest, presented Miyawaki microforests as a way to engage urban populations in learning about ecosystems.
Panel 2 – “Transforming Narratives about the Land and Living Beings in Rural Areas“
Frédéric Frédout (Fine Arts School of Marseille) discussed how rurality is shaping a new approach to teaching in art schools, while Nina Ferrer-Gleize (GwinZegal Editions) highlighted how agriculture has become a major theme in recent publications.
Panel 3 – Bringing Pastoralism and Biodiversity into Dialogue
Patrick Fabre (Maison de la Transhumance) focused on the relationships between humans, animals, and the territory at the heart of transhumance, emphasising their importance in safeguarding and promoting this millennial practice. Through interviews with Célia Picard and Hannes Schreckensberger, Charles Garcin (CAIRN) presented the perspectives of these artists following their engagement with shepherds during the PES_CE residency Humus.
Panel 4 – “Sharing Knowledge and Artistic Practices in Rural Areas”
Stéphanie Sagot (Nouveau Ministère de l’Agriculture) outlined her vision for transformative change in food production through an artistic stance critiquing agricultural policies. Sandra Brau and Gilles Meuriot (Pays d’Aix en Transition, Semeurs de Biodiversité, Zorro Déchet) emphasised the need to consider all living beings and presented their nourishing forest-garden experiment. Erik Samakh shared his residency Pedras in a remote Portuguese village and his engagement with the local community. Baptiste Lanaspèze (Wild Project Editions) addressed how ecological thinking has become a mainstream theme in contemporary publishing.
The contributions to this seminar are published in the journal Cahiers Mésozoaires (issue 2, January 2026), published by ESAAIX and the Locus Sonus / Locus Vitae Research Laboratory.
